Characters in Hamlet - Overview of Main Characters

Overview of Main Characters

See also: Synopsis of Hamlet
  • Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark; he is son to the late King Hamlet; and nephew to the present King Claudius.
  • Claudius is the King of Denmark, elected to the throne after the death of his brother, King Hamlet. Claudius has married Gertrude, his brother's widow.
  • Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, and King Hamlet's widow, now married to Claudius, and mother to Hamlet.
  • The Ghost appears in the image of Hamlet's father, the late King Hamlet (Old Hamlet).
  • Polonius ("Corambis" in "Q1") is Claudius's chief counsellor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes.
  • Laertes is the son of Polonius, and has returned to Elsinore from Paris.
  • Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, and Laertes's sister, who lives with her father at Elsinore. She is in love with Hamlet.
  • Horatio is a good friend of Hamlet, from the university at Wittenberg, who came to Elsinore Castle to attend King Hamlet's funeral.
  • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are childhood friends and schoolmates of Hamlet, who were summoned to Elsinore by Claudius and Gertrude.
  • Fortinbras Norwegian crown prince, who assumes the throne of Denmark after Hamlet's death.

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